Reasons
by SilverMidnight52
Summary: After Deeks finds out that two friends have been killed in a car accident he takes in their three year old daughter. What isn't he telling about this girl?
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing. Slash. Enjoy.

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><p>"Mr. Deeks," Hetty said as Callen, Kensi, Sam, and I walked into the bullpen.<p>

"Hey Hetty," I said sitting at my desk, "What's up?"

"Justin and Katie Singer were in a hit and run accident a few hours ago. Neither of them made it. Their three year old daughter did."

I stared at Hetty in shock for a few moments before I felt anger consume me. Without thinking I grabbed a bottle I had placed on my desk and threw it against the wall causing it to bust and splatter water everywhere.

"Where's Alice?" I asked glaring slightly.

"She's in my office," Hetty said calmly, "But I ask that you calm down. Alice is still very shaken up and she doesn't need you being angry right now."

Nodding my head quickly I started to walk towards Hetty office while taking a few deep breaths. Hetty was right when she said that Alice needed me to be calm when she saw me.

When I got into the doorway of Hetty's office I saw Alice sitting behind the desk with a cup of tea shaking in her hands. Tears were streaming down her face and her left arm was wrapped in gauze.

"Alice," I said quietly hoping not to startle her.

Alice looked at me with wide eyes before putting her tea down and running at me. Smiling slightly I picked her up and held her against me as she started to sob. Muttering soft words to Alice I started to bounce her slightly hoping to calm her down.

"Mommy and Daddy," Alice started to say through the sobs.

"Shh," I said kissing her forehead, "I know."

Her arms wrapped tighter around my neck before letting out a whimper. Calmly going over to the desk I placed Alice on the chair and waited patiently for her to let go of my neck.

Once her arms were by her sides I placed her tea back in her hands. Alice gave me a sad half smile before taking a small drink of her tea. Smiling back I kissed her forehead but stayed kneeling next to her.

"Do you want to meet some of my friends?" I asked hoping to get Alice's mind off of her parents for awhile.

Alice nodded softly a few times before finishing off her tea and looking at me hopefully. This time a full smile bloomed on my face as I lifted her up and walked into the bullpen.

"Alice," I said bouncing her slightly, "These are my friends. This is Sam Hanna, Kensi Blye, and G Callen. Guys, this is Alice Singer. Of course you already know Hetty."

"Hi," Alice said shyly.

"Mr. Deeks," Hetty said looking at me, "I believe there is one other person that you should introduce Miss Singer to."

Smiling slightly I looked at the stairs and saw Eric standing there. I felt him staring at me in confusion causing me to take a deep breath and wonder how I was going to explain everything to him.

"Miss Singer," Hetty said cutting off my thoughts, "How about you come with me and change into something else? I know wearing that scrub top must not be very comfortable."

Alice looked at me as if to ask if it was safe. Kissing her forehead I placed her down and nodded my head for her to go with Hetty. I needed to talk to Eric before anything else happened.

Rushing up the stairs I pulled Eric into the tech room and glared until everyone else left. Once we were alone I pressed my lips to his desperately. I needed to get some sort of emotion besides anger into me.

"Hey," Eric said breaking the kiss, "Are you okay?"

"No," I said shaking my head, "I'm not even close to being okay, but I have to tell you something."

"About the girl you were holding?"

"Yes. Her name is Alice Singer and I'm her father. I got a girl pregnant a few years back. She didn't want to keep her so I took her and put her in a safe home. She doesn't know that I'm her father, but now that her parents are dead I have to take care of her, Eric. I can't give her away again. I was lucky with the Singers. They understood the situation and let me stay in her life."

"You're going to take care of her."

"I am. I have to, Eric. Please tell me you understand that."

Eric smiled softly and pulled me into a hug. Wrapping my arms around him contently I felt happy by his reaction. The two of us had only been dating a few months and everything was still new to me.

Long term relationships weren't something that I was used to, but it was different with Eric. He made me feel like I had a place to go no matter what happened. We could be in a fight and I still knew that I had somewhere to call home.

Hearing footsteps coming up the stairs quickly I kissed Eric softly with a small smile on my face before turning around and seeing Alice walking into the room on her own.

Looking over Alice I saw that Hetty had brushed her curly blond hair and put it up in a pony tail. Instead of the pink scrub top she was wearing before Alice had on a cute dark purple dress that I'm sure Hetty spent a lot of money on.

I kneeled in front of Alice and opened my arms to invite her into a hug. Alice's ocean blue eyes were filled with sadness, but I could also see the happiness when I wrapped my arms around her.

"Alice," I said lifting her up, "This is Eric Beale. Eric, this is Alice Singer. Alice, Eric and I have been dating for a few months."

Alice looked between Eric and I for a moment before opening her arms toward Eric. Eric looked at me in confusion but moved closer so Alice could pull him into a gentle hug.

I could see the amazement in Eric's eyes as I moved so he was the one holding Alice. He knew that I wasn't someone that trusted people easily, but I could tell that Alice knew that Eric was a good person.

"Hi," Alice said resting her head on Eric's shoulder.

"Hi," Eric said back softly.

Smiling I could see Eric slowly become comfortable with Alice in his arms. When I saw Alice's eyes starting to slip shut I took Alice back in my arms and started to gently sway.

I felt Alice snuggle more into my chest and listened closely as her breathing evened out. Once I was sure that she was sleeping I stopped moving and pressed a kiss to Eric's lips.

"Thank you," I whispered against his lips.

"She's beautiful," Eric said smiling at me.

"That she is. I'm going to go see if Hetty has someplace for Alice to lay down and a blanket."

"Okay, I'll be up here if you need me."

"Eric, I always need you."

Eric rolled his eyes at me and softly pushed me towards the stairs. Laughing quietly to myself I walked back down to the bullpen and saw everyone watching me closely.

"Hetty," I said softly, "Do you have a blanket or something?"

"I do," Hetty said nodding, "Why don't you place Alice down on the couch while I get it?"

Nodding my head I went to the couch and placed her on it gently. I stayed kneeled next to her until I felt something touch my shoulder. Looking up I took the blanket from Hetty and placed it over Alice before kissing her forehead and standing up.

Hetty motioned for not only me, but Callen, Sam, and Kensi to follow her into her office. It didn't take long for all of us to be in the office. Everyone had situated themselves in the room while I stayed standing up in a place I could see Alice.

"Mr. Deeks," Hetty said drawing my attention to her for a moment, "Why do I have a feeling we don't know the whole situation with Alice?"

"Alice is my daughter," I said calmly, "An old girlfriend gave birth to her three years ago, but she didn't want to keep her. Hell, she didn't want to have her at all. Don't ask how I was able to convince her to do that. Anyway, I was in a deep undercover operation when Alice was born and I knew I wasn't going to get out anytime soon.

I found the Singer family and explained what was going on. I guess they could tell that I didn't want to give Alice up. They basically made me Alice's uncle. I spent a lot of time with Alice, but we decided that we weren't going to tell Alice the truth. I don't know if that's going to change now."

I felt everyone's eyes on me and ran a hand through my hair. Everything was a little chaotic in my head, but the only thing that I really wanted to do was take care of Alice in any way.

A list started to run through my mind of all the things that Alice needed. I didn't have a lot of room in my house, but it would have to do for now. Right now I had to get a place for Alice to sleep and a few toys.

"Miss Jones," Hetty said when Nell walked past, "Can you get Mr. Beale for me, please?"

"Of course," Nell said nodding and rushing up the stairs.

"The four of you and Mr. Beale will be taking the rest of the day off. Go get everything packed from your place, Mr. Deeks. Everyone will help you and I will send you your new address in a few hours."

"Hetty," I started to say.

"Don't even try, Mr. Deeks. I'm going to do this whether you like it or not. Now go get Alice and take her with you. It will be fully furnished so don't bother bringing anything like that and yes, they will have a room for a kid Alice's age. There are no sheets though. You'll see the house and figure out what you need from there. Go."

Everyone got up and started to walk out of the office calmly talking to each other. I watched them for a few more minutes before looking at Hetty. She stared at me for a moment before smiling.

"Thank you," I said before going over to Alice.

"Hey," Eric said walking up to me, "Nell said we had the day off. What's going on?"

"We're going to pack up my place. Hetty is getting me a new place to stay so I have enough room for Alice. She's giving us the day to get everything packed up and into the new house."

Eric nodded his head and waited as I went over to Alice. I looked at the peacefulness of her face and I hated that I would have to wake her up. She looked so content in her dreams.

"Alice," I said brushing her hair out of her face, "Wake up, Sweetheart."

"Daddy?" Alice said her eyes fluttering open.

"No, it's Uncle Marty."

Alice looked at me as sadness filled her eyes. Sighing I scooped Alice up, making sure to keep the blanket around her. She curled closer to me and rested her head against my shoulder.

I made my way outside to see Eric leaning against the car waiting for me. Smiling I looked in the car and saw a seat for Alice. Quickly buckling her in I climbed in the drivers' seat and made my way to my house.


	2. Chapter 2

I own nothing. Slash. Enjoy.

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><p>When I got there everyone was already in my apartment setting up some boxes. Walking to the couch I placed Alice on it and kneeled in front of her. Checking the clock quickly I decided that it was time for something to eat.<p>

"Are you hungry?" I asked softly.

"Yeah," Alice said nodding slightly.

"Alright," I said pulling out my wallet, "Callen, Sam, can the two of you go to the store and pick me up everything for spaghetti and garlic bread?"

"Sure," Callen said shrugging, "Come on, Sam."

As Callen and Sam left for the store I went to my DVD case. Taking out Alice's favorite movie, Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton version), I put it in and gave Alice the remote.

Alice smiled softly at me and cuddled deeper into the blanket. Once I was sure that she was settled and watching the movie I made my way into the kitchen with Eric and Kensi behind me.

"Let's start in here," I said opening some of the cabinets.

Going around the kitchen I started to pack everything quickly. There wasn't a lot of things in this house that I cared about, but I knew I would need some time to get Alice's room ready when we got to the new house.

While I was packing I could feel both Kensi and Eric looking at me. I tried to shrug it off and keep my mind focused, but everything that had happened today was getting to me.

Feeling a hand wrap around mine I found myself being pulled into my bedroom. It barely registered to me that it was Deeks dragging me in there until the door was closed and locked behind us.

"What are you doing?" I asked glaring slightly, "I have to pack."

"No," Eric said shaking his head, "You have to calm down."

"I am calm.

"Then why are your hands in fists?"

Looking down at my hands I sighed when I realized that he was right. I carded a hand through my hair and moved so I was sitting on my bed while Eric moved so he was kneeling in front of me.

Eric placed his hands on mine and stared at me. Leaning down I pressed my lips to Eric's gently. He moved his hands so they were threaded in my hair keeping me against his lips.

I moaned softly into Eric's mouth and brought him with me as I laid back on my bed. Eric moved so he was straddling my hips without breaking the kiss. Moving my hand so they were running up and down his back gently I let myself be consumed by the kiss.

"Feel better?" Eric asked breaking the kiss.

"Yeah," I said sighing, "I just still don't know what to do with Alice. I know I should tell her, but I already gave her away once…"

"But you never left her. She'll understand when you explain it. Although I've noticed she doesn't speak a lot."

"Yeah, she has a speech impediment and because of that she was made fun of a lot and now has a stutter."

Nodding his head Eric opened his mouth to say something only to be interrupted by knocking at the door. With a smile Eric climbed off of me and went to open the door revealing Alice.

"Hey," I said sitting up, "Is everything okay?"

Alice quickly shook her head and climbed on the bed. Wrapping my arms around her I held her close and walked back into the living room. She wasn't crying this time, but I could tell that she didn't want to be alone.

Looking around the living room I saw that Callen and Sam were back and watching me with worry hidden in their eyes. I gave them a small smile and placed Alice on the couch before looking at Eric.

"Alice," I said softly, "Would you feel better if someone was in here with you?"

"Yeah," Alice's soft voice said through the quiet.

"How about me?" Eric said understanding the look I was giving him, "Can I watch the movie with you?"

Alice nodded her head at this and moved over so Eric had plenty of room to sit down. Smiling fully I pressed a kiss to Alice's forehead before pressing a grateful one to Eric's lips.

When I was sure that they were going to be fine together I walked into the kitchen and started to make the spaghetti. I was just about to put the garlic bread in the oven when I heard someone clear the throat softly.

"If you guys want to say something just say it," I said tiredly.

"Do you really think it's the best idea," Kensi said carefully, "I mean, you're still an undercover cop. You're going to be gone a lot and in danger."

"She's my daughter, Kensi. I don't care what I have to do, but I'm not going to let her go. I'm going to be the one that takes care of her. If I have to leave the LAPD then so be it, but I'm not leaving that little girl alone. Is that clear?"

"Very."

I hadn't bothered to turn around when I was talking to Kensi. It wasn't that I didn't believe everything I was saying or that her questions weren't valid, but I knew I would lose control if I did.

Half the time I hated myself for not putting Alice before the job when she was born, the other half of the time I thought she was better off without me. Now I had a second chance and nothing was going to stop me now.

I finished cooking the food in silence as Callen, Sam, and Kensi finished packing the kitchen up. With a nod I motioned for them to eat while I took three plates into the living room.

"Here we are," I said placing the food in front of Alice and Eric, "I believe this is your favorite, Alice."

Alice gave me a small smile and started to eat quietly. Sitting next to her I looked at Eric over her head and saw a smile playing on his lips. I couldn't tell what it was from, but I hoped he was getting along with Alice.

I doubted that Alice had said a word to him the whole time, but I also knew that just having her smile at you when you spoke to her was rewarding. She had such an amazingly warm smile.

Soon Callen, Sam, and Kensi were walking into the living room, plates full, and watching the movie with us. I could see that they weren't really getting into the movie, but Alice was watching happily.

It was no secret to Alice that she was named after the charter from Alice in Wonderland and because of this she had me read the book to her whenever she was staying the night at my place.

She fell in love with it the first time I had read it to her so when I heard that Tim Burton was doing it I had to take her to see the movie. I had never seen her that happy about something in her life.

Now every time she was over at my house we would watch the movie and talk about it for awhile before heading to bed. This time was different though. After it there was no reason for me to send her to bed then off to her parents house.

"Alice," I said when it came to the end of the movie, "Since you don't have to go to bed yet why don't you pick out another movie and you can watch while we pack?"

Alice nodded her head quickly and slipped off the couch. She took a few steps before turning around and offering Eric her hand. Eric looked confused at first, but took her hand and let her lead him to the DVDs.

It took awhile, and after what seemed like a non-verbal debate between the two of them, Eric handed me a movie and sat back down with Alice still holding his hand tightly.

"The newest Star Trek movie," I said shaking my head, "Oh, you two are nerds."

"Spock," Alice said so softly only Eric and I heard it.

"Yes, I know, Spock and The Doctor are tied as the best sci-fi characters ever to be created. Oh no."

"Why'd you say 'Oh no'?" Sam asked confused.

"I mentioned The Doctor," I said rolling my eyes, "After this she's going to want to watch the newest season of Doctor Who again."

"Doctor," Alice said nodding slightly.

"Aw, you are a nerd," Eric said grinning happily.

Alice blushed softly but moved closer as the Eric as the movie started. I walked behind the couch so Alice and Eric couldn't see me. Callen, Sam and Kensi went into the kitchen and waited for me to tell them what to do next.

I watched Alice and Eric carefully for a few minutes and wished that I could join them on the couch. Everything in me was screaming that I needed to be with my daughter, but I had to get everything moved before that could happen.

"Alright," I said going into the kitchen, "All that's left really is the bathroom, bedroom, and living room. Do you guys mind throwing the bedroom into boxes while I do the same in the bathroom?"

"Sure," Callen said nodding.

"I don't have much, maybe a few boxes worth."

"We're not going to run into anything you don't want us to see, are we?" Kensi asked with a smirk.

"Of course not, I keep that locked up in the bathroom."

As everyone started to let out soft laughs I made my way into the bathroom and started to pack quickly. I hadn't been joking when I said that all of my 'toys' were in the bathroom.

This was one of the few times that I was glad that being an undercover cop meant not owning a lot of things. I liked it when I first started out, but it wasn't the life I could lead anymore.

"Deeks," Callen said walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

"What is it, Callen?" I asked not really up to joking just yet.

"Alice seems like a good kid. I'm guessing you have a lot to do with that."

"I was undercover most of her life, but whenever I was here I would take care of her."

"Does she know what you do?"

"Kind of. I told her once that I catch the bad guys. Every time someone brings up my work she just smiles and calls me a superhero. I asked her what she meant, but all she did was hand me a Batman movie."

"She thinks you're like Batman."

"Yeah, I guess it's her way of trying to understand why I do what I do."

"You don't like it though. Look, Deeks, I'm no going to try to convince you that this is a bad idea. I saw today everything that I needed to see from you. You're a good father, Deeks. Whether you believe it or not. What I came to say was that I knew Hetty gave you papers so you could come work for NCIS full time. I'm not saying it's a safer job, but we don't go undercover nearly as much and you'll have a team covering your back."

My eyes widened slightly when I realized what Callen was saying. Callen and I got along for the most part, but there were times I thought he was just humoring me. To say I was surprised by what he said was an understatement.

"Callen," I started to say.

"Hey," Callen said opening the door, "It's up to you. I'm just saying you're welcome if you want."

Nodding my head I watched as Callen left and sighed when he was gone. I knew that he was right about NCIS, but I wasn't sure what to do. This job was dangerous and that was fine when I was alone, but now I had not only Alice to think about but Eric.

I had thought that everything was falling into place. I had found someone that I wanted to be with and I still got to see my daughter as often as possible. Now I had to change everything and I didn't know what to do.

With a shake of my head I went back to packing the bathroom while going through the whole situation hoping to find a solution. By the time I was done packing I was more frustrated then when I began.

As I made my way into the bedroom to see how they were doing I heard Alice's voice. Slowly I snuck into the living room and saw Eric and Alice talking softly while watching the movie.

Smiling I could see that Alice had moved so she was resting against Eric while he had his arm wrapped around her shoulders. They looked so content just watching the movie.

I quietly moved into the bedroom and saw that most of it was packed up. Kensi smiled at me slightly when I walked in, but she didn't say anything to me. Picking up a sock that was placed on the bed I threw it at her head with a smile on her face.

"You did not just throw a sock at me," Kensi said her eyes wide.

"If that's what you'd like to believe," I said grinning, "Then I won't stop you."

Kensi smirked at me and threw the sock back. Laughing slightly I helped them finish packing without saying another word. I knew that it wasn't hard to figure out that I didn't really want to talk I was just glad they realized it too.

Feeling my cell phone buzz in my pocket I checked it and saw that it was a message from Hetty. I quickly got a piece of paper and wrote down the address and directions to the new place.

"Do you guys want to start moving boxes to the new place?" I asked smiling.

"Hetty gave you the address?" Sam asked taping up a box.

"Yeah. So, who's going to go?"

"Sam and I will," Callen said picking up some boxes, "We'll be back."

Nodding my head I finished packing up the bedroom with Kensi while they went into the kitchen to move boxes down to their car. Soon Kensi and I were moving into the living room to start packing.

"Alice," I said noticing the movie was almost over, "After the movies over we're going to be going to our new house."

"New house?" Alice asked her eyes wide.

"Yes, a new house. Once we've checked it out we're going to go shopping. Tomorrow we'll go to your parents home and get your things, okay?"

Alice nodded her head slightly and moved her attention back to the movie. Eric smiled happily at me before leaning down and saying something softly to Alice. I watched as she giggled at his words, but I could still see the sadness in her eyes.

Turning away from the two of them I started to pack the DVDs while Kensi worked on the books. It was a testament to how often I wasn't home when we were done packing before the movie was over.

"We're going to go pack the car while you two finish the movie up," I said grabbing a box.

"Alright," Eric said as the movie ended, "You guys need any help?"

"Yeah," I said putting the box down, "Can you bring the boxes downstairs?"

"Of course."

Eric and Kensi started to take the boxes downstairs while I dramatically fell on the couch next to Alice. Alice let out a soft giggle and climbed on my lap. Closing my eyes for a moment I smiled at the thought that I had my daughter back.

Lifting Alice up as I stood up myself I started to spin her around until all I could hear was her giggles. As I slowed the spinning I saw Alice smile at me happily and yawn loudly.

"Go to sleep," I said holding her to my chest, "We'll go shopping after your nap."

"Nighty-Night," Alice mumbled against my neck before her eyes slipped shut.

"Nighty-Night."


	3. Chapter 3

I own nothing. Slash. Enjoy.

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><p>"Welcome to your new house, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said when I climbed out of the car.<p>

"Wow," I said looking around the house.

The house was two stories with a small front yard and looked over the beach. It wasn't a big house, but I could see that it was going to be a nice place to live. I was just glad to have a place that I knew Alice would love.

Going to the back of the car I took Alice out of her seat and faced the house again. So far I was having a little trouble not turning to Hetty and saying that I couldn't afford this house, but it was Hetty and I wouldn't win.

"Go inside, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said calmly, "Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna have already unpacked a few boxes."

"Not the boxes from the bathroom, right?" I said my eyes wide.

"No, not those boxes."

Blushing slightly I cleared my throat before making my way into the house. I froze when I saw the furniture. My mind told me that it would take a year to earn the money it took to pay for half of the things in just the living room.

"Hetty," I said turning to her.

"Don't look at me, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said calmly, "I'm not the one that furnished this house nor am I the one that set the price so low for this house."

"How much is the house completely furnished?"

"Five thousand dollars."

"I don't have that kind of money."

"They're willing to take smaller amounts of money until you pay the whole thing."

Nodding my head I started to make my way through the house. Downstairs had a small bathroom, kitchen, living room, and dining room. Upstairs were three bedrooms, and two bathrooms.

It didn't take long for me to find the room that would be Alice's. There wasn't much there. A small bed in the corner, a toy chest under the window and a dresser near the closet.

The walls weren't painted and there was no curtains or sheets. If I didn't know better I would have thought that this was a brand new house. In truth I didn't know what Hetty had done.

I started to make my way downstairs when I felt Alice starting to squirm in my arms. Sitting on the bed I ran my hand through her hair a few times while muttering what I hoped were comforting words.

Looking down I saw that Alice's eyes were shut tightly while tears were streaming down her face. With a sigh I kissed her forehead making sure to never stop talking quietly to her.

"I want Daddy," Alice said through the tear.

My heart clenched painfully when I heard her words. I knew that she didn't know that I was her Dad, but I couldn't help but hope she would be calling me that at some point.

"I know, Sweetheart," I said rocking her gently.

"Are you going to leave again?" Alice asked her stutter becoming heavier.

As soon as I heard Alice say that I realized that I couldn't go undercover again. Alice needed me to be there for her and going undercover few weeks at a time would kill her.

Standing up I kissed her forehead gently and started to walk around the room. The sound of her cries were making me feel like my heart was being ripped out. Alice had never cried so much even when she was a baby.

"Alice," I said softly, "I want you to listen to me. Do you like Hetty, Callen, Sam, Kensi, and Eric?"

"Yeah," Alice said nodding slightly.

"Okay, they're part of NCIS, Navy cops. I'm LAPD. Both Hetty and Callen have offered me a job with them. I'll still be doing the same thing, but not nearly as often. I'll be here for you. I'll be here."

Alice looked at me sadly before wiping her tears away and resting her head back on my shoulder. Smiling slightly when I realized that she wasn't crying anymore I made my away back downstairs and saw everyone was standing around in the living room.

"Is there anything else you need, Deeks?" Kensi asked looking around the living room.

"No," I said shaking my head, "I think we're just going to go shopping for some things for Alice."

"Alright," Callen said clapping his hands, "Come on, Kensi, Sam, let's go get something to eat."

Kensi and Sam nodded their heads in agreement before making their way out of the house. Hetty smiled slightly at me and followed them calmly leaving Eric, Alice, and I alone.

"Alice," I said bouncing her slightly, "Are you ready to go shopping?"

"Eric come too?" Alice said looking between us.

"Of course," Eric said smiling, "I'd love to come."

Alice smiled tiredly at Eric and reached her arms toward him. With a smile Eric took her into his arms and held her tightly. Once I was sure that everything was fine I made my way to my car with Eric following me quietly.

When Eric was finished putting Alice in her seat and got in himself I started to drive us to the mall. For the most part the only thing that I needed was some things for Alice's bed, this one was a little bigger then her old one, and things for the bathroom.

We got to the mall quickly, but the whole place was packed. Sighing I looked at Eric as he got Alice out of her seat. I could tell that she was tired and I knew that we should do this as quickly as we could so Alice could go back to sleep.

"Alright," I said walking into a store, "All we're going to get is some bedding and things for the bathroom, okay?"

"Yeah," Alice said nodding gently.

Eric smiled at me calmly as we went to the bedding section. I watched as Alice's eyes sleepily looked over the bedspreads before stopping at the _Doctor Who_ bedding with a smile.

Picking up the bedding I arranged it in my arms and made my way to the bathroom supplies. Alice once again looked over everything before picking a green tooth brush and vanilla tooth paste.

With a shake of my head I grabbed some floss before turning towards the shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion section. This time Alice moved around until Eric put her on the ground.

"Apple," Alice said pointing at the bottles.

"You want everything to be apple scented?" I asked as Eric picked the bottles up.

"Yeah."

Both Eric and my hands were full as we made our way to the front registers. Alice had kept one of her hands gripping my shirt as we walked just like I had taught her to do when I couldn't hold her hand.

After we paid for everything we made our way back to the car with Alice letting out a yawn every few seconds. Laughing to myself I put the bags in the backseat and buckled Alice in.

"She's already asleep," Eric said after a few minutes.

"After everything today I'm surprised it took this long," I said calmly.

"How long is it going to take before you pass out?"

"Probably after I pick some things for Alice. She needs some clothes to change into after her bath."

"Alright, after all of that what are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

"I do."

Smiling slightly at Eric I realized just how much he took care of me. It wasn't that he forced me to talk or anything like that, but every time I started to feel like I couldn't handle what was going on around me I got a little reminder from him that he cared.

It was never anything big though. A cup of coffee when I was undercover as a homeless man or something like that. Eric was the first person that really made me feel like they cared.

I had been with a lot of people in my life, more then I really like to think about, but something was different with Eric. It wasn't just physical with him, at least it wasn't the best part of being with him.

He was the only person that I could say I loved and be completely serious about that. I loved him more then I thought I could. He loved me too, at least that's what he told me everyday.

Pulling up to Alice's old house I made sure that she was sleeping before nodding slightly to Eric. He nodded back and made himself comfortable in the car while I made my way into the house.

As I made my way through the house I sighed slightly. I had never seen the house so quiet. The Singer's weren't a rich family, but they did everything to make sure that Alice had everything that she wanted.

Alice wasn't a typical kid though. She loved any form or art and the ocean. As long as she had those things she was completely happy. It's one of the reasons I made sure to buy her a surfboard for her birthday.

With a shake of my head I made my way to Alice's room and picked out not only her favorite pajama's but her favorite outfit. I started to make my way out of the room when I caught site of a teddy bear.

Smiling softly I picked up the bear and ran my hand over it. I had given this bear to Alice when she was born. Justin said that Alice had stopped carrying it around, but she still slept with it every night.

I made my way out of the house and back to the car only to stop. Eric was kneeling with the backdoor of the car opened. Alice's arms were wrapped around Eric's neck and from what I could see she was shaking.

"Hey Alice," I said walking up to them, "Look what I have."

"Rain," Alice said reaching for the bear.

"Yeah, Rain. Do you remember the story behind her name?"

"No."

"When you were born it was a really bad thunderstorm. The doctors were actually afraid that the power would go out before you were born. I bought you this bear while we were waiting. You latched onto it like it's all you had in the world. You never went anywhere without it. I can't remember how old you were when you said your first word, but I do remember that we were having a horrible thunderstorm. You kept saying rain so I handed you your bear. From then on you called her Rain. Come on, let's go get you ready for bed."

Alice nodded her head and let me put her back in the car seat. Watching her closely I made sure that Alice wasn't going to drop Rain before getting back in the drivers' seat.

The drive to the house was quiet for the most part. I kept my eyes on the road for the most part, but periodically I would look over at Eric. I could see the sadness in his eyes and I wondered what they were talking about before I came out.

Once we got to the house and brought everything in I helped Alice take her bath. I tried to go as quickly as I could seeing that Alice was about to fall asleep again at any moment.

"Come on," I said helping Alice into her pajama's, "Time for you to go to sleep."

It wasn't long after I placed Alice into bed that she was fast asleep. Smiling I kissed her forehead before leaving her room. As I closed the door slightly I let out a sigh and ran a hand through my hair.

Feeling a hand rest on my neck I looked up and saw Eric watching me. I let him pull me up and into my new bedroom. Looking around I saw that Eric had already made my bed while I was with Alice.

Eric closed the door gently and pressed his lips to mine. Sighing into the kiss I closed my eyes hoping to fall into it. Eric always had a way of making me forget everything that was going on in my mind.

As he pushed me backwards onto the bed I felt him undo my pants and pull them down before moving to my shirt. Once I was only in my boxers Eric broke the kiss and pulled the blankets over me.

Wrapping my arms around his waist I tugged him down so he was laying next to me. Eric smiled happily and undressed quickly. Laughing to myself I pulled the blankets over him.

"Sleep," Eric said kissing me gently.

"I love you," I said when he cuddled into my chest.

"I love you too."


	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing. Slash. Enjoy.

* * *

><p>"Are you making breakfast, Marty?" Eric asked walking out of the bedroom.<p>

"I am," I said grinning, "Would you get Alice while I finish up?"

"Of course."

Watching Eric walk into Alice's room I saw that Alice was already sitting up in her bed playing with Rain. Eric said something that I didn't hear before sitting next to Alice and playing with her.

Laughter filled Alice's room for awhile before Eric and Alice came into the kitchen. Alice quickly ran up to me and smiled happily up at me. Smiling back I picked her up and sat her on the counter next to where I was working.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked putting some dirty dishes into the washing machine.

"Seven," Alice said yawning.

"It's almost eight, Sweetheart. Why didn't you get out of bed before now?"

Alice gave me a shrug and stared at the ground. With a soft sigh I kissed Alice's forehead before picking her up and putting her in one of the seats. Sitting next to her I helped her put food on her plate while she pointed to what she wanted.

When all of us had food and had started to eat my eyes kept wondering to Alice. I knew that she didn't feel like this was her house, not that I blamed her, but there was nothing I could really do about it.

"Uncle Marty," Alice said putting her fork down, "Can we go to the beach?"

"Sure," I said with a smile.

"Eric?"

"Of course," Eric said happily, "I love the beach."

Alice smiled again and finished up eating quickly before running into her room. A few seconds later Alice walked back out with tears in her eyes. Putting my fork down I picked her up and let her sob.

"What's wrong, Alice?" I asked softly.

"Swimsuit," Alice said cuddling into my chest.

"It's at your old house. Do you want to go there?"

I watched as Alice bit her lip before nodding her head. Motioning for Alice to get dressed I waited until her door was closed before looking at Eric sadly. He offered me a sad smile and brought me into my room.

"Get dressed," Eric said kissing me gently, "I'll met you at her old house after I go home, okay?"

"Yeah," I said nodding.

"Hey, everything's going to be fine."

"You can't know that."

"Maybe I can't, but I can still believe it. You're a good parent Marty and you're not alone in this. Everything will be fine."

Smiling slightly I pulled Eric into a hug before kissing him gently. Eric broke the kiss and pushed me slightly until I rolled my eyes and made my way to a few of the boxes by the closet.

Eric left the room leaving me to get dressed. I knew that Eric would met us at Alice's old house, but I couldn't help but wish that he didn't have to leave at all. I always missed having him around when he left.

We had only been together for a few months and I knew that it was soon, but I wanted to ask him to move in with me. I knew that now wasn't the right time to talk to him about it.

Shaking my head I quickly got dressed and went into the living room. Alice was already sitting on the couch with Rain in her hands. I could see that she was sobbing once more.

I picked Alice up as I made my way to my car hoping that maybe having me close to her would make her feel better. Alice wrapped her arms around me tightly before letting me buckle her into her seat.

"Eric?" Alice asked looking around.

"He had to go to his house for awhile," I said driving toward her old house, "But he's going to met us there once he's ready."

"Live with you?"

"No, Eric doesn't live with me. Why?"

"Like him."

"You like Eric?"

"Yeah, nice."

Pulling in front of the house I stopped the car and got out. After taking a few deep breathes I got Alice out and made my way slowly into the house remembering that no one was going to be there to greet us.

Once we were inside I placed Alice down and picked up a picture of the three of them. Justin and Katie looked so natural with Alice. They loved Alice so much more then I could have hoped.

"Uncle Marty?" Alice asked tugging on my shirt.

"Let's get your things packed up, alright?" I asked smiling sadly.

Alice nodded her head slightly and made her way into her old room. Following her I watched her run her hands over the walls under some pictures they had as her body started to slouch in sadness.

The urge to pick Alice up and try to make all of this go away filled me, but I knew that she had to do this her way. I couldn't step in until she asked or I knew she couldn't handle it on her own.

We got into her old room and Alice went into her closet to pull out of luggage bags. They didn't go on trips often, but Justin had been planning on taking Alice to New York.

I helped Alice put the bags on her old bed while she started to put her clothes in them. She quickly packed two bags full of all of her clothes before a knock came to the door.

"Finish packing," I said picking up the two bags, "I'll go let Eric in and put this in the car."

With a small nod Alice went over to her bookcase and started to pack them away. Sighing I went to the front door. Seeing Eric standing there I smiled slightly before going past him to put the bags in the car.

Once the bags were away I turned back to Eric only to have him pull me into a hug. Wrapping my arms around his waist I rested my head on top of his for a moment before pulling away.

Eric pressed his lips against mine while his hands moved into my hair to keep me against him. Closing my eyes I gripped his hips and brought him closer to me. The kiss didn't last long but it did send a shiver down my spine.

"Come on," Eric said pulling away, "Alice needs you."

"Yeah," I said nodding my head.

Pressing another quick kiss to his lips I pulled him inside and back into Alice's room. Going into Alice's room I saw that a lot of her things were already packed up, she didn't a lot of things.

I walked up behind Alice, who was trying to take down a painting she had on the wall, and took it down for her. Alice smiled sadly at me before going to the only open bag and putting it inside.

"Are you done?" I asked looking around.

"Yeah," Alice said nodding.

"You didn't pack everything. Do you want to give the rest away?"

"Yeah."

"Alice, you need to tell me what you're thinking. Please, use full sentences."

Alice let out a soft sigh before sitting on her old bed and pouting slightly. I knew that she didn't like talking a lot, but I needed to know what was going on with her before her emotions ate her alive.

"I miss them," Alice said tears in her eyes.

"I know," I said kneeling in front of her.

"But I have you."

"What do you mean?"

"I love Mommy and Daddy, but you're Uncle Marty. You're like Daddy."

Smiling softly I lifted Alice up and hugged her tightly. Alice wrapped her arms around my neck and let our a soft yawn. Looking around I saw that the clock on the wall said it was almost eleven.

"Let's get these bags into the car and we'll grab something to eat before going to the beach," I said putting her down.

Eric, Alice, and I picked up the bags and made our way back to the car. We still had a lot of work to do in the house, but for now we had to keep everything calm for Alice.

Once everything was into the car I made sure that Alice was buckled in before driving back to the house. Quickly unpacking the car I looked around Alice's room and saw the color.

A pale yellow that I knew Alice didn't like covered the walls. Smiling I decided that we were going to paint the house after we ate and while we were at the beach we'd let it dry.

"Alright, Alice, you're favorite colors are silver and emerald green, right?" I asked pulling out my wallet.

"Yeah," Alice said confused.

"Okay, I want you and Eric to wait here for the pizza while I go get some paint for your room."

"Right."

"We can play the Wii you have, right?" Eric asked looking between Alice and I.

Laughing I kissed Eric gently before grabbing my keys and making my way out to my car. I could hear a soft laugh coming from Alice as Eric hooked up the Wii. I could imagine the smile on both of their faces as he examined the games I had.

As I drove to the store I thought about how everything was going to change. I usually spent a lot of time with Alice, when I wasn't undercover, but now that was all over.

I couldn't do that anymore. There was no way that I could leave Alice alone. I wasn't going to quiet my job, that wasn't who I was, but I would take Hetty up on her offer.

Sighing I pulled into the parking lot and shut off the car. My mind was running all over the place and I knew that it wasn't going to go away any time soon. I had to get everything in order before it could even began to be okay.

With a quick shake of my head I started to make my way into the store. I knew that Eric and Alice were going to be fine together, but I wanted to spend at much time with them as I could before I had to go back to work.

As quickly as I could I picked up the paint colors that I knew Alice would like and paid for them. Going back to my car I wondered if I was going to be able to take care of Alice.

It was true that I loved her with all of my heart, but I had only ever taken care of her for a few days at a time. There was a reason that I thought she would be better off if I wasn't her parent.

Turning the car on I drove back to my house and sat in the car. From where I was sitting I could see Eric and Alice jumping around playing the game. The grin on both of their faces brought a smile to mine.

Getting out of the car I made my way inside and opened the door softly. Before I could say anything I heard Alice and Eric talking to each other. Curiously I moved towards the living room but made sure they couldn't see me.

"Eric," Alice said softly.

"Alice," Eric said staring at her.

"I know."

"What do you know?"

"Uncle Marty's my Daddy."

I felt my whole body freeze as my heart dropped. Justin, Katie, and I had decided that we weren't going to bring up that up unless we had to. They wouldn't have told Alice what was going on unless they had to.

Coming out from my hiding spot I watched as Alice looked up at me and stared with wide eyes. She started to look back and forth, like she was getting ready to start running.

"Don't," I said moving closer to her, "How do you know that?"

"Mommy," Alice said looking at the ground.

"Alice, tell me what happened."

"I broke a glass and got cut."

"And you had to get blood when you went to the hospital. That's how you found out about me being your Dad."

"But you love me?"

"Of course I love you, Sweetheart. You're my daughter, that's never changed in my mind. I love you so much. I couldn't take care of you back then."

"Now?"

"Yes, I can take care of you now."

Alice smiled slightly and opened her arms. Grinning I picked her up and started to spin her around causing her to let out a happy giggle. I stopped spinning long enough to kiss her forehead before there was a knock on the door.

"I got it," Eric said standing up.

I nodded my head and watched as Eric went to get the pizza. Smiling I carried Alice into the kitchen and sat her in a chair. The smile never left my face as Eric placed the pizza down and placed a piece on a plate for Alice.

As the three of us ate I watched as Alice and Eric interacted. I knew that most of the time Alice acted a lot older then she needed to, but with Eric it was like all of that was forgotten. She was a kid.

"Alright you two," I said when they started tossing napkins at each other, "Who wants to paint a room?"


	5. Chapter 5

I own nothing. Slash. COMPLETELY DONE! Enjoy.

* * *

><p>"Are you ready, Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked softly.<p>

Standing in front of the mirror in Hetty's dressing room I started to think back on my relationship with Eric. We had been together for a few months now and I felt better then I had in any other relationship.

Everything was going well, and then I got my daughter back. The people that had been taking care of her died in a car accident and as much as I hated that they were dead I was glad to have her back.

I didn't know how the two of them were going to get along, but it worked out so much better then I thought. Eric loved Alice like his daughter and that could be seen no matter what he was doing.

Now it was time to take everything to the next step. I knew there was a chance Eric would say no, but I hadn't felt like this before and I doubted anyone would make me feel like this again.

"I am," I said nodding.

"Congratulations, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said smiling.

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing, Hetty?"

"I've seen the way you and Eric act around each other, Mr. Deeks. There is no doubt in my mind that you two will be happy together. And if you're worried about Alice then all you need to do is look at her smile. She loves both of you with all her heart. Now hurry Mr. Deeks. You can't be late for your own wedding."


End file.
